Arruda nominated for national award

SOMERSET — Somerset youth Lindsey Arruda has won a state award and is one of two nominees from Massachusetts for the national Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

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By GEORGE AUSTIN

southcoasttoday.com

By GEORGE AUSTIN

Posted Mar. 28, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By GEORGE AUSTIN

Posted Mar. 28, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

SOMERSET — Somerset youth Lindsey Arruda has won a state award and is one of two nominees from Massachusetts for the national Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

"I'm just so inspired by her as a sixth grade student who has done so much for her country," Somerset Middle School Principal Pauline Camara said.

Arruda was nominated for the award because of a project she did in which she sold silicone wrist bands with the words Boston Strong on them to raise money for The One Fund, which was set up to help victims of the last year's Boston Marathon bombings. The wrist bands were made in blue and yellow, which are the official colors of the Boston Marathon, one of the most famous races in the world.

"So many people wear those bracelets now for so many different things," Dr. Camara said. "It was a great idea on her part. She's so humble."

A committee that oversees the Community Service Club at Somerset Middle School, where Arruda is a student, nominated her for the award, which is based on volunteerism. The committee has nominated other students for the award in the past, but Dr. Camara said Arruda is the first student from the school to receive the honor from the state.

"I think she is what community service is all about," Dr. Camara said. "Lindsey said she gets as much enjoyment out of the others who have helped."

The award is part of the largest youth recognition program in the country and is sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. There will be two nominees from each state and Washington, D.C. who attend a gala awards ceremony on May 5 at the Smithsonian Institute and of those, 10 will be chosen as America's Top Youth Volunteers of 2014. There will be five high school and five middle school winners.

For receiving the state award, Arruda will be given $1,000 to donate to a non-profit organization or charity of her choice. Dr. Camara said the state award will be presented to Arruda at the middle school next month. The national winners will be given $5,000 each to donate to charity.

Arruda and her family have been given an all expenses paid trip to the nation's capital for the gala and other activities that will include a tour of the capital, meeting the other youths who have been nominated for the national award and meeting their congressional delegation.

Through the wrist band sale, Arruda raised over $10,000 in 2 1/2 months for The One Fund. Last Thursday, she described her effort to the Somerset School Committee which brought some people in the room to tears because of how inspired they were about what she did to assist the Boston Marathon victims.

"I'm very proud of her," Dr. Camara said.

During her presentation to the School Committee, Arruda said what happened at the marathon last April inspired her, because instead of people running away after the bombs went off, they were trying to help people who got hurt. Arruda said her family gave her a lot of support in selling the wrist bands, which were purchased by people around the country and overseas as she advertised them online. She also thanked teachers, classmates, friends and the community who were supportive of her as she sold the wrist bands. Some of the people who were seen in public wearing Arruda's wrist bands were President Barack Obama, country singer Kenny Chesney and New England Patriots owner Roberet Kraft. Arruda said one soldier in South Korea donated $100 to her fundraiser and another woman bought 100 wrist bands for the Boston Medical Center that helped treat the injured after the bombings.

"I learned that there are a lot of good people in this world at a time of crisis and they will come together," Lindsey said.

School Committee member Jamison Souza said it is truly remarkable what Arruda accomplished with the fundraiser and the spirit she spread around the country and the world. He said he wanted the School Committee to give Arruda a commendation of recognition for her community spirit.